The Blog of Death

Princess Alice

HRH Princess Alice, the Duchess of Gloucester and the oldest member of the British royal family, died on Oct. 29. Cause of death was not released. She was 102.

Born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu-Douglas-Scott, she was the third daughter of John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, the seventh Duke of Buccleuch. In 1935, Alice married Prince Henry, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary, at a private ceremony in Buckingham Palace. The couple had two sons -- Prince William and Prince Richard. William died in 1972 when a plane he was flying crashed at an air show.

Before her husband's death in 1974, the prince and princess traveled all over the world performing their royal duties. During World War II, Princess Alice worked with the Red Cross and ran the Women's Royal Air Force in 1940. She later worked for numerous charities and became an accomplished watercolorist. Her autobiography, "The Memoirs of Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester," was published in 1981.

The mother of the present Duke of Gloucester and the aunt of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Alice spent her final years living in Barnwell Manor, an Elizabethan building in rural Northamptonshire, and at Kensington Palace in London.

John McNamara

John McNamara, an historian and author, died on Oct. 15 of prostate cancer. He was 91.

Born and raised in the Bronx, McNamara's interest in local history began in childhood. While exploring the New York borough's waterways by canoe, he encountered Captain Charles Ferreira, a local lighthouse keeper. Ferreira explained that the Native Americans used to travel the same routes in the same fashion. This bit of information fascinated the boy and sparked a life-long love of historical lore.

Over the next eight decades, McNamara walked every street and canoed or kayaked every waterway in the Bronx. He kept meticulous notes of his travels and published the book "History in Asphalt: The Origin of Bronx Street and Place Names " in 1978. The text is considered one of the most comprehensive works about the area. McNamara penned three more books about the borough and co-authored two others with Bill Twomey. He also wrote columns for the Bronx Times Reporter, led tourists and locals on walking tours and worked at the New York City Housing Authority for 29 years.

A lifelong adventurer, McNamara once rode the rails across America and chronicled his experiences as a "hobo journalist" for a publication called Sand Dunes. He served with the Army in the Philippines during World War II, and later traveled to South Africa, China, Russia, Europe, South America and the outback of Australia.

McNamara was a co-founder of the Bronx County Historical Society, and a member of the Bronx Old Timers Society, the Kingsbridge Historical Society and the American Name Society. In 1985, the square on the north service road of the Cross Bronx Expressway extension between Randall and Calhoun avenues was named in his honor.

Betty Jane Spencer

Betty Jane Spencer, the lone survivor of the 1977 Hollandsburg murders, died on Oct. 26 of chronic lung disease. She was 71.

On Feb. 14, 1977, four men carrying shotguns entered her home in Hollandsburg, Ind., about 50 miles west of Indianapolis. The robbers pocketed a few items and $40 in cash, then ordered her and her four children to lie face-down on the living room floor.

That's when the shooting started.

Spencer's son Gregory Brooks, 22, and her stepsons Raymond Spencer, 17, Reeve Spencer, 16, and Ralph Spencer, 14, were executed. Betty was also shot in the back, but she survived the wound and pretended to play dead. Determined to leave no witnesses behind, one of the robbers kicked her and shot her a second time. That bullet grazed her shoulder and skull, and blew her wig off. Assuming she was dead, the gunmen left.

The telephone lines were cut so Spencer trudged through the snow and called the police from a friend's house. Authorities eventually apprehended Roger Drollinger, 24, Daniel Stonebraker, 20, David W. Smith, 17, and Michael Wayne Wright, 21, and charged them with the slayings. Spencer's testimony helped convict all four men of murder; they were later sentenced to life in prison. The notorious crime was chronicled in the 2004 book "Choking in Fear" by Mike McCarty.

The experience of surviving an armed robbery and losing her boys left an indelible mark on Spencer, one that inspired her to become a champion of victim's rights. Over the next three decades, she helped change 56 Indiana laws and founded the Parke County Victims Advocate Foundation, an organization that provides crisis counseling to crime victims and keeps them notified of court dates. Spencer also joined the National Organization for Victim Assistance, the Protect the Innocent Foundation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan honored her efforts at a White House ceremony.

Spencer's resolve to keep her sons' murderers in jail never wavered. Each time the men applied for clemency, she would appear at the hearing and testify against them. Last week, Spencer videotaped her plea to the parole board for use in future hearings.

"It is her dying wish that none of the four men ever get out of jail," said her friend Kenneth Coleman. He plans to take up Spencer's fight and argue against parole for the Hollandsburg killers for as long as he lives.

Anthony Hecht

Anthony Hecht, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and educator, died on Oct. 20 after suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was 81.

The native New Yorker was an average student, but he found a passion for poetry while attending Bard College. Despite this literary yearning, Hecht left school in his sophomore year to serve with the Army's 97th Infantry Division during World War II. He saw combat in France, Germany and Czechoslovakia and witnessed the liberation of the Flossenburg concentration camp near the Czech-German border.

Upon his return to the states, Hecht studied at Kenyon College in Ohio and at Columbia University. He invented the double dactyl, a humorous poetic form that begins with two three-syllable nonsense words ("Higgledy, piggledy"), in the 1950s then embarked on a teaching career at the University of Rochester in New York.

In between classes, Hecht penned dark and precise poetry that defied modern convention. He published nine poetry books, including the 1968 collection "The Hard Hours," which won the Pulitzer Prize. In his later years, Hecht wrote three books of essays, translated Aeschylus's "Seven Against Thebes" and edited "The Essential Herbert" and "Jiggery-Pokery: A Compendium of Double Dactyls."

Hecht moved to Washington D.C. in 1982 to work as a poetry consultant to the Library of Congress. After his two-year term expired, he taught at Georgetown University until his retirement in 1993. A chancellor emeritus of the Academy of American Poets, Hecht also won the Bollingen Prize, the Ruth Lilly Prize and the Los Angeles Book Prize.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

John Peel

John Peel, a British radio broadcaster and disc jockey, died on Oct. 25 of a heart attack. He was 65.

Born John Robert Parker Ravenscroft in Heswall, Merseyside, England, he completed his required military service as a radar operator in the Royal Artillery, then moved to America. There he adopted the professional name John Peel and worked as a broadcaster at WRR radio in Dallas, KOMA in Oklahoma City and KMEN in San Bernadino, Calif.

Peel returned to Britain in 1967 and launched the show "The Perfumed Garden" on Radio London, a pirate radio station. Six months later, when the station closed down, he switched to the BBC's brand new pop channel, Radio 1, and established himself as the late night DJ on the show "Top Gear."

For the next four decades, Peel championed groundbreaking new music and helped expose listeners to punk, reggae and hip-hop artists. Bands from all over the world sent him their demo tapes in hopes of getting exposure on his popular radio program. The songs Peel selected were broadcast in full, without commercial interruption. He also brought bands into the studio to perform live and record exclusive tracks for his show. Known as "The John Peel Sessions," these songs had a demo-like feel; many were later released on record with the Strange Fruit label.

In 1998, Peel premiered the show "Home Truths" on Radio 4. The eclectic magazine program about family life earned four Sony Radio awards. The British broadcasting legend also received an Order of the British Empire and the Sony Gold, the radio industry's highest honor. He was inducted into the Radio Academy Hall of Fame in 2003.

• Listen to a Tribute Show From BBC Radio

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Samuel Gravely Jr.

Retired Vice Adm. Samuel Lee Gravely Jr., the first black naval officer to become an admiral and command both a warship and a fleet, died on Oct. 22 after a stroke. He was 82.

The Richmond, Va., native attended Virginia Union University for two years before enlisting in the Naval Reserve in 1942. Commissioned as an ensign, Gravely served aboard a segregated submarine chaser, then returned to Virginia Union to complete his bachelor's degree in history.

Gravely resumed active duty in 1949 and worked as a recruitment officer for the newly desegregated U.S. Navy. In the Korean War, he returned to combat service as a communications officer aboard the battleship Iowa and the cruiser Toledo. Gravely officially transferred from the Naval Reserve to the regular Navy in 1955.

The first African-American to graduate from a midshipman's school, at Columbia University, Gravely also became the first black officer to command an American warship when he was named skipper of the destroyer Falgout in 1962. He again made history by becoming acting commanding officer of the destroyer USS Theodore E. Chandler.

During the Vietnam War, he served as commander of the destroyer USS Taussig and the guided missile frigate USS Jouett. In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford appointed Gravely to be vice admiral in charge of the Navy's Third Fleet, a command of 100 warships and 60,000 sailors and marines.

Gravely received numerous honors over the course of his illustrious 38-year military career, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal and Navy Commendation Medal. He retired in 1980 as the director of the Defense Communications Agency, the predecessor of the Defense Information Systems Agency. Gravely was married for 58 years, fathered three children and raised pigeons.

Betty Hill

Betty Hill devoted much of her life to the study of UFOs after she and her husband Barney were allegedly abducted by extraterrestrials in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The couple was returning from vacation in Canada on Sept. 19, 1961 when they saw a bright light in the sky. They tried to drive away from the light, but their car's engine stalled.

What happened next is a mystery that continues to generate fascination and curiosity.

The couple arrived back at their New Hampshire home with no memory of driving for two hours. Betty's dress was ripped and stained and Barney's shoes were scuffed. Their car's exterior showed shiny patches in perfectly circular patterns. And both of their watches had stopped.

Three years and many nightmares later, the Hills recounted an identical tale of alien abduction while under hypnosis. They claimed a group of short, gray-skinned creatures took them aboard a spaceship and conducted rigorous medical examinations on them. Their story inspired John G. Fuller's 1966 bestselling book "Interrupted Journey," and the 1975 TV movie "The UFO Incident," starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons.

Born Eunice Elizabeth Barrett, Betty Hill graduated from the Sanborn Seminary and attended the University of New Hampshire for two years. She dropped out of school to marry Barney, and worked as a social worker until her alien encounter.

For the next decade, Betty traveled all over the world, giving speeches and sharing her story. Her husband joined her on these speaking engagements until he died in 1969. Hill eventually retired from the lecture circuit because she said too many people with "flaky ideas, fantasies and imaginations" were making similar claims. However, her quest for knowledge about extraterrestrials never wavered. In 1995, she self-published the book, "A Common Sense Approach to UFOs."

Hill died on Oct. 17 after a battle with lung cancer. She was 85.

Lewis Urry

Lewis F. Urry, the engineer who developed the modern alkaline battery, died on Oct. 19. Cause of death was not released. He was 77.

Born in Pontypool, Ontario, Urry earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto after serving in the Canadian army. In the 1950s, he landed a job at Union Carbide's National Carbon Co., where he developed the first practical, long-life battery using powdered zinc as the electrolyte. His invention eventually aided millions of people in utilizing portable devices and electronics.

To demonstrate his new battery, Urry bought a pair of model cars at the local toy store. He installed a regular D cell battery in one, and his alkaline battery in the other. The car with the carbon battery stopped moving after driving only a short distance, but his alkaline battery-powered car kept going and going. He retired from Energizer, the successor to the National Carbon Co., in May.

Urry held 51 patents including several for lithium batteries, the energy source for most cell phones and cameras. His alkaline battery was later enshrined near Thomas Edison's light bulb in the Smithsonian Institution Museum of American History.

Roland Simpson

Roland "Slim" Simpson, an Australian BASE jumper, died on Oct. 22 of injuries he sustained in a jump earlier this month. He was 34.

Simpson fractured his skull on Oct. 6 when he jumped from the 1,387-foot Jin Mao Tower in the financial district of Shanghai. He and 37 other BASE jumpers from 16 nations were invited by the Shanghai Sports Bureau to jump from the tower, which is China's tallest skyscraper. Simpson was injured when the parachute lines on his wing suit became twisted. He landed on the roof of an adjacent building.

The president of the Australian BASE Association, Simpson was an experienced skydiver and BASE jumper who completed more than 1,200 jumps. Over the years, he participated in numerous BASE-jumping competitions and was appointed the technical director for the 2003-2004 World BASE Cup.

"In that first second or two when you actually, when you're actually, when your body's hanging in the air and you're starting to drop and you look down and this enormous rock wall starts to race past and you're accelerating down right next to it, that visual impression that's this kaleidoscope of rock racing past you, is very difficult to explain. It's an incredible feeling -- really amazing," Simpson said in an interview with The Sports Factor.

BASE is an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span and Earth, the fixed objects from which BASE jumpers launch themselves.

Chuck Hiller

Back in 1962, Charles Joseph Hiller hit the National League's first grand slam in a World Series.

It was Oct. 8 and Hiller was the starting second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. During game four of the World Series against the New York Yankees, Hiller broke a seventh-inning 2-2 tie with a grand slam home run. The fastball he hit into the right field stands helped San Francisco win the game, 7-3. The Yankees eventually defeated the Giants in game seven.

Born in Johnsburg, Ill., Hiller was signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent in 1957. He switched to San Francisco in 1959, and made baseball history. The National League infielder later played for the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his eight seasons in the majors, he hit .243 with 20 home runs.

After retiring in 1968, Hiller coached for the Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, the Giants and the Mets. He also served as a manager and adviser in the Mets' minor league system.

Hiller died on Oct. 20 of leukemia. He was 70.

• Statistics From BaseballAlmanac.com

Bruce Palmer

Bruce Palmer, the original bass guitarist of Buffalo Springfield, died on Oct. 1 of a heart attack. He was 58.

Born in Nova Scotia and raised in Toronto, Palmer picked up his first guitar at the age of 10. In his teens, he played with area rock groups, such as the Swinging Doors and Jack London and the Sparrows, then joined the Mynah Birds, a Canadian group fronted by singer Rick James. The band recorded an album with Motown Records, but its contract was canceled when James was arrested for dodging the draft.

In 1966, Palmer and Mynah Birds' guitarist Neil Young drove down to Los Angeles in Young's black hearse. After running into singer Stephen Stills and guitarist Richie Furay in a traffic jam on Sunset Boulevard, the four musicians decided to form a band. Session drummer Dewey Martin soon joined the group, which became known as Buffalo Springfield.

Although it only lasted for two years, Buffalo Springfield developed a reputation for its topical lyrics and "West coast sound." The folk/rock group topped the charts in 1967 with the song "For What It's Worth," but its influence would become more palpable after its demise. Upon the release of its third album, "Last Time Around," Buffalo Springfield broke up; however, most of its members went on to critical acclaim and commercial success.

Palmer was forced out of the band just before the final record was released, due to immigration and drug problems. He produced a solo instrumental album in 1971 and later reunited with Martin to form the band Buffalo Springfield Revisited.

Download "For What It's Worth"

Dolly Rathebe

Dolly Rathebe, the "Ella Fitzgerald" of South Africa, died on Sept. 16 after suffering a stroke. She was 76.

Born Josephine Malatsi, she adopted the name Dolly Rathebe after launching a career as a nightclub singer in Johannesburg to support her family. Rathebe was only 19 years old when she starred in the 1949 film "Jim Comes to Jo’burg," the first motion picture to positively portray the urban life of Africans.

The film brought Rathebe international stardom and an opportunity to appear on the cover of Drum magazine. But when German photographer Jürgen Schadeberg took her to the gold mine dumps near Johannesburg to shoot the picture, they were arrested for violating the Immorality Act, a law that forbade interracial relationships. Once the picture of a bikini-clad Rathebe ran in all the South African newspapers, she became the country's sweetheart.

When Alf Herbert's "African Jazz and Variety" show opened in 1954, Rathebe served as its main attraction. However, her appearance in the show led to frequent arrests for breaking the nighttime curfew for blacks in whites-only areas. To avoid jail, Rathebe would sing for the arresting officers. Rathebe also performed with the Elite Swingsters, an African jazz band, until the late-1960s when that type of music went out of style. She spent the next two decades living in poverty and running a shabeen in Cape Town.

With the end of apartheid in 1989, Rathebe rejoined the Elite Swingsters and performed at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela. She later appeared in various movies, including "Cry the Beloved Country" and "Mapantsula," and gave concerts all over the world. In 2001, Rathebe built Meriting kwaDolly, a multipurpose hall in Klipgat whose name translates to "Dolly's Retreat." That same year, she received a lifetime achievement award from the South African Music Awards.

Jean Ruth Hay

Jean Ruth Hay, the world's first global disc jockey, died on Sept. 18 after suffering a stroke. She was 87.

At 24, the Philadelphia native offered to create a "painless reveille" for the troops stationed at Fort Logan in Colorado. Her daily wake-up call, which was aired on Denver radio station KFEL, led to publicity in Time Magazine and a job offer from KNX-AM in Hollywood.

During World War II, Hay's radio program ''Reveille With Beverly," roused American troops in 54 countries. Each day at 5:30 a.m., she opened a cold bottle of Coca-Cola, greeted an estimated 11 million servicemen with the signature line (''Hi there, boys of the U.S.A.") and broadcast music by Benny Goodman, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw on the Armed Forces Radio Service. She took requests and read notes from GIs on the air -- a few of which turned out to be coded messages. In 1943, Columbia Pictures produced a movie about her radio program; the film starred Ann Miller and featured the vocal talents of an unknown singer named Frank Sinatra.

Hay remained in California after the war ended. She worked for a radio station in Santa Barbara and did charity work for Direct Relief International, a non-profit organization that provides health care and disaster relief. In later years, she hosted the TV show, "Beverly on 3," and appeared in commercials for Carnation Milk, Wonder Bread and Kraft Cheese. Hay was also the spokeswoman for Pillsbury until 1965 when the company replaced her with the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Sam Lender

Samuel A. Lender, a bagel baron, died on Oct. 17 of heart failure. He was 84.

Lender's father immigrated from Poland, and founded a tiny bakery in New Haven, Conn. In the 1930s, Sam and his two brothers worked there, hand-rolling the dough and baking dozens and dozens of bagels.

The Lender sons eventually took over the family business and turned it into a baked goods empire. In 1965, they decided to freeze their bagels and share them with the world. Today, the Lender's Bagel Company produces more than 1 million bagels daily.

After retiring to Florida, Sam Lender became a philanthropist and political gadfly.

Pierre Salinger

Pierre Emil George Salinger, a veteran journalist and former White House spokesman, died on Oct. 16. Cause of death was not released. He was 79.

The California native spent a year at San Francisco State College before dropping out to enlist in the Navy. During World War II, he commanded a sub chaser in the Pacific theater and reached the rank of lieutenant. Salinger returned to the states in 1946, finished college and resumed his journalism career.

After writing for the San Francisco Chronicle and editing Collier's Magazine, Salinger joined Robert F. Kennedy's senatorial staff. He served as chief investigator for the Select Committee to Investigate Improper Activities in Labor-Management Relations, then rose to the press secretary position when John F. Kennedy won the presidential election.

Salinger ran the first live presidential press conference in 1961 and encouraged Kennedy to appear on television, then a new medium. Salinger stayed on to serve as President Lyndon B. Johnson's press secretary when Kennedy was assassinated. He left the post in 1964 to complete the term of Sen. Clair Engle (D-Calif.), who died in office. Five months later, Salinger lost his bid to stay in the Senate to actor George Murphy.

Salinger attempted a few commercial ventures in the late 1960s before landing a job as a roving correspondent for the French news magazine L'Express. In 1977, he switched to broadcast journalism and joined ABC News. Over the next two decades, Salinger would serve as the network's Paris bureau chief, chief foreign correspondent and senior editor in London.

One of his most memorable stories was the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island. Salinger said he possessed government documents that showed the Navy was testing missiles off the coast of New York that day, and claimed the plane was accidentally brought down by friendly fire. The National Transportation Safety Board found no evidence of a missile strike and concluded that a center fuel tank explosion destroyed the Paris-bound jumbo jet and killed its 230 passengers.

Salinger and his wife moved to France in 2000 to protest George W. Bush's presidency and to run an inn. He received numerous honors during his lifetime, including the George Polk Award and the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, France's highest civilian award. The author of more than a dozen books, Salinger published his autobiography, "P.S.: A Memoir," in 2001.

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Donald Gardner

Although Donald Yetter Gardner played many instruments, directed church choirs and produced community musical events, he was best known for writing the song "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.''

On Dec. 5, 1944, Gardner was teaching music at an elementary school in Smithtown, N.Y. During a second grade music class, the students were asked what they wanted for Christmas. As they replied, Gardner noticed that many of the children lacked at least one front tooth, a condition that caused them to lisp their answers.

This observation inspired Gardner to pen "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth," a song that was recorded dozens of times by artists such as Nat King Cole, Mariah Carey, George Strait, Alvin and the Chipmunks and Harry Babbitt. The 1948 Spike Jones version reached number one on the music charts and sold nearly a million and a half copies in seven weeks.

Gardner later worked as a music consultant and editor at Ginn & Co., where he penned songs for music textbooks. A member of the American Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers, he still received royalties on the famous Christmas carol more than half a century later.

Gardner died on Sept. 15 of complications from surgery. He was 91.

Sean deRosier

Civilian stunt pilot Sean deRosier died on Oct. 15 after his airplane crashed at the start of the Miramar Air Show. He was 31.

DeRosier was one of the first pilots to perform during the air show at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego. While doing twirls in his blue and yellow, single-engine Cabo Wabo "SkyRocker," he failed to pull out of a steep dive and crashed between two runways. DeRosier suffered severe internal injuries in the accident, and died 25 minutes later at the hospital.

The Fairfield, Calif., resident loved flying. He earned his pilot's license at 17, then took up stunt flying. DeRosier became one of the youngest performers on the air show circuit, and performed his gravity-defying stunts in shows up and down the west coast.

DeRosier and his father built the aerobatic airplane from a $300 set of plans. Capable of speeds of up to 184 mph, the aircraft's wing tips were modified with a pair of mini-jet engines that spewed smoke. In 1999, the plane won an Outstanding Workmanship Award at the Experimental Aircraft Association annual convention in Oshkosh, Wis.

Billy Reay

William T. "Billy" Reay, the winningest coach in Chicago Blackhawks' history, died on Sept. 23 of liver cancer. He was 86.

Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Reay broke into the National Hockey League in 1943 when he was tapped to play for the Detroit Red Wings. Two seasons later, he was traded to Montreal where he remained for eight seasons. A center for the Canadiens, Reay helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 1946 and 1953.

When Reay retired as a player in 1953, he decided to work behind the bench. There he developed a reputation as a "player's coach," one who treated his men with respect and used creative motivational tools. After coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs for two seasons in the late 1950s, Reay became the Blackhawks' coach in 1963. Over the next 14 seasons, he built an extraordinary record of 516 wins, 335 losses and 161 ties.

Reay's teams finished first six times and made three appearances in the Stanley Cup finals. Although he never won a championship as a coach, Reay came close in 1973 when Chicago lost to Montreal 3-2 in the seventh game.

Nirupa Roy

Nirupa Roy, a veteran Bollywood actress, died on Oct. 13 of a heart attack. She was 73.

Born Kokila Kishorechandra Balsara in Valsad, India, Roy was only 15 years old when she made her screen debut in Gujarati-language films. She played several goddess roles as a young woman and was often called Parvati by her friends and colleagues.

Over the course of her five-decade career, Roy appeared in more than 280 films. Known for her convincing portrayals of motherly characters, she became a star in the 1953 Hindi movie "Do Bigha Zameen" (A Small Plot of Land). Roy won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award three times and received the Filmfare Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2003.

Outside of Bollywood, Roy's maternal instincts were questioned in court. In 2001, Roy, her husband Kamal Roy and her son Kiran Roy were arrested for alleged cruelty and dowry harassment against her daughter-in-law Una Roy. Nirupa Roy denied the charges; her son and his wife later filed for divorce.

John Mack

Dr. John Edward Mack, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and a leading authority on alien abductions, died on Sept. 27. He was 74.

The New York native earned a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a medical degree from Harvard University. Mack spent two years in the U.S. Air Force after interning at Massachusetts General Hospital and doing his residency at Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He later graduated from the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and became a certified practitioner of child and adult psychoanalysis.

Mack joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in 1964 and was named a full professor of psychiatry eight years later. He started the psych unit at Cambridge Hospital, then founded the Center for Psychology and Social Change; the center was later renamed the John E. Mack Institute, in his honor. He also wrote or collaborated on 11 books, including "A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T.E. Lawrence," which won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for biography.

In the final years of his life, Mack earned a worldwide reputation for studying people who claimed to have been kidnapped by aliens. With a grant from Laurance Rockefeller, Mack became the founding director of the now-defunct Program for Extraordinary Experience Research, a project that examined how alien abductions affected people's lives.

Although his work was criticized in scientific and media circles, Mack found researching abductees a fascinating endeavor. After a decade of study and about 200 interviews with "experiencers," he marveled at the consistency of their stories and noted that such otherworldly encounters often resulted in a heightened sense of spirituality and environmentalism. Mack penned two books on the subject: "Abduction: Human Encounters With Aliens" and "Passport to the Cosmos: Human Transformation and Alien Encounters." His controversial work served as the subject of the 2003 documentary "Touched."

Mack was attending the T.E. Lawrence Society Symposium in Oxford, England, when he was struck by a car while walking across a street. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

• Listen to a Short Interview From the Film "Touched"

Ken Caminiti

Kenneth Gene Caminiti was an outstanding third baseman. The three-time All-Star played for several major league baseball teams and was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1996. But five years later, his stellar athletic career ended in scandal.

The Hanford, Calif., native played baseball at San Jose State and signed with the Houston Astros in 1987. Caminiti was traded to the San Diego Padres in 1995 and helped that team reach the 1998 World Series. He returned to Houston for two seasons then finished his career with the Texas Rangers and the Atlanta Braves. Although he was frequently plagued with injuries, the third baseman and switch-hitter earned three Gold Gloves for fielding excellence and an ESPY for Outstanding Baseball Performer.

The Braves dropped Caminiti in 2001. Eight days after being cut, he was arrested in Houston and charged with cocaine possession. Caminiti pleaded guilty in 2002 and received three years probation. That same year, he admitted to Sports Illustrated that he had used illegal anabolic steroids while playing professional baseball. Caminiti also claimed that at least 50 percent of major league players were using the artificial bodybuilding drugs.

Last Tuesday, a Houston judge revoked Caminiti's probation for failing his fourth drug test. The court sentenced him to 180 days in jail; however, he was given credit for time served and released.

Caminiti died on Oct. 10 of a massive heart attack. He was 41.

• Statistics From Baseball Library

Christopher Reeve

Christopher Reeve, a veteran actor who was best known for playing Superman, died on Oct. 10 of heart failure. He was 52.

The native New Yorker was only nine years old when he first tread the boards at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, N.J., during a production of "Yeoman of the Guard." After graduating from Cornell University, Reeve played the evil Ben Harper on the CBS soap opera "Love of Life." He studied at The Juilliard School (his roommate was Robin Williams), and landed his first Broadway role in "A Matter of Gravity," a play starring Katharine Hepburn.

Although he was relatively unknown at the time, Reeve's handsome face and athletic, 6-foot-4-inch body made him the ideal choice for the title role in the 1978 movie "Superman." He performed most of his own stunts and portrayed the Man of Steel in three sequels. Not wanting to be typecast as a superhero, Reeve next portrayed a time-traveling playwright in the 1980 romance "Somewhere in Time," a bumbling actor in the 1992 farce "Noises Off…," an American politician in the 1993 Merchant Ivory period piece "The Remains of the Day," and a famous war reporter in the 1994 political comedy "Speechless."

Reeve's professional and personal life took an unexpected turn in 1995. While riding in an equestrian competition in Culpeper, Va., he was thrown from his horse. The accident fractured the top two vertebrae in his neck, damaged his spinal cord and left him a quadriplegic. Determined to walk again, Reeve endured years of operations and physical therapy. He eventually regained sensation in his index finger, his left leg and areas of his left arm.

Reeve then went to Washington, where he lobbied Congress for better insurance protection of catastrophic injuries. He campaigned for an increase in funding for stem cell research in the hope that scientists may one day develop treatments and cures for paralysis. With his wife Dana, he opened the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center, a facility in Short Hills, N.J., that teaches paralyzed people how to live more independent lives.

Reeve also returned to show business. He made his directorial debut in 1997 with "In the Gloaming," an HBO film that received five Emmy nominations and won four Cable Ace Awards. The following year, Reeve acted in a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic "Rear Window," a performance that earned him a Screen Actors Guild award for best actor. He shared his life story in the books "Still Me" and "Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life"; the audio versions, which Reeve narrated, received Grammy nominations. His star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Reeve was receiving treatment for a severely infected pressure wound on Oct. 9 when he suffered a cardiac arrest and slipped into a coma. He is survived by his wife and three children, Matthew, 25, Alexandra, 21, and Will, 12.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

• Listen to an NPR Interview With Reeve

Download "Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life"

Christl Cranz-Borchers

Christl Cranz-Borchers, one of the most decorated female skiers in German history, died on Sept. 28. Cause of death was not released. She was 90.

The two-time Olympic gold medal skier staged one of the sport's most exciting comebacks during the 1936 Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. While competing in the new alpine event, Cranz-Borchers fell during the downhill portion. She fought back during the next two slalom races and won the gold.

Cranz-Borchers also won 12 world titles and three silver medals.

John Cerutti

John Joseph Cerutti, a broadcaster and former pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, died on Oct. 3. Cause of death was not released. He was 44.

A native of Albany, N.Y., Cerutti was a star at Amherst College, leading the Jeffs to top rankings for Division 3 New England teams two years in a row. He was a first-round draft pick in 1981.

Cerutti made his major league debut with the Blue Jays in 1985. The left-hander was an 11-11 starter with a 3.07 ERA, and helped the team win division championships in 1985 and 1989. After six seasons with Toronto, Cerutti joined the Detroit Tigers as a free agent. He left after one season and signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox, but was cut from the team before the season opener. His professional baseball career ended with a 49-43 record and 3.94 ERA.

Cerutti made the switch to broadcasting as a baseball commentator for Time Warner Cable. He became a color commentator for the CBC in 1997 and spent several seasons calling Jays' games for the network before becoming a lead analyst with Rogers Sportsnet. The day Cerutti was scheduled to broadcast the season finale against the New York Yankees, he was found inside his Toronto hotel room. Foul play is not suspected.

• Statistics From Baseball-Reference.com

• Listen to an MLB Radio Interview With Cerutti

Irene Bale

For Irene Bale, life was literally a three-ring circus.

The London-born vaudeville dancer and acrobat married Col. Trevor Bale, a former tiger trainer and ringmaster with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. For the majority of her life, she worked as an animal trainer, flew through the air on the trapeze and performed the ''iron jaw,'' an aerial stunt that involved hanging from a leather and metal apparatus by her teeth.

The Bale family's circus roots go back 350 years, and continue to this day. Two of Irene's daughters, Gloria and Bonnie, currently perform a horse act with the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus; her daughter Dawnita stepped out of the spotlight a few years ago to care for Bale during the final years of her life. Bale's son, Elvin, was paralyzed from the waist down in 1987 while performing a human cannonball act. He now works as director and vice president of operations at the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. In 2003, the Bales were inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame.

Bale died on Sept. 2 from complications of Alzheimer's disease. She was 87.

Johnny Kelley

John Adelbert Kelley, an Olympian who finished the Boston Marathon 58 times and won it twice, died on Oct. 6. Cause of death was not released. He was 97.

The Medford, Mass., native originally wanted to be a baseball player. But once he saw his first marathon, he decided to become a long distance runner instead. Kelley ran track in high school and later sprinted to and from the Boston Edison plant where he worked until 1970.

Kelley made the U.S. Olympic Marathon team and placed 18th at the 1936 Berlin Games. He was drafted into the Army during World War II, but temporarily left his post at Fort McClellan in Alabama to race in the 1943 Boston Marathon. That year, he completed the 26.2-mile event in two hours and 30 minutes, his fastest time.

The ''King of the Marathoners" also competed in the 1948 Olympic Games in London and finished in 21st place. His efforts were honored in 1996 when he carried the Olympic torch from New Hampshire to Massachusetts.

Kelley won the Boston Marathon in 1935 and 1945; he finished in second place seven times. A statue of a young Kelley clasping hands with his octogenarian self was dedicated in 1993, a year after he retired from competition. The bronze monument stands along the race's course at the base of the third hill in Newton, Mass.

Named "Runner of the Century" by Runner's World magazine, Kelley was inducted into the National Distance Running Hall of Fame and the Road Runners of America Hall of Fame. A moment of silence will be held in his honor at the Boston Athletic Association's half-marathon on Sunday.

Joyce Jillson

Joyce Jillson, an astrologer who forecast the future for millions of people, died on Oct. 1 of kidney failure. She was 58.

Born on Dec. 26, 1946, the Rhode Island native and Capricorn was only 8 years old when she began studying the stars under astrologer Maude Williams. At 10, Jillson was constructing horoscopes for her dog and predicting the behavior of the stock market. But her main goal was to become a star, so she studied opera at Boston University then moved to New York to pursue a career in show business.

Jillson starred in the Broadway production of "The Roar of the Greasepaint -- the Smell of the Crowd," and won the 1965 Theatre World Award for her performance. She played the role of Jill Smith Rossi on the popular TV show "Peyton Place" until 1968 when she decided to make prognostication her claim to fame.

Jillson's informative and entertaining predictions were syndicated in 230 newspapers nationwide and 84 international publications. She discussed astrology on her own syndicated TV program "The Joyce Jillson Show," and penned the books: "Real Women Don't Pump Gas," "The Fine Art of Flirting" and "Joyce Jillson's Lifesigns." Her final manuscripts, "Dog Astrology" and "Astrology for Cats," are scheduled for publication next spring.

Jillson also gave private readings to celebrities, corporate executives and political figures. The official astrologer for 20th Century Fox Studios, she determined the best days for new movies to open in theatres. Jillson aided the Los Angeles Dodgers by predicting whether the baseball team would win each game (she had an 89 percent accuracy rate). And when First Lady Nancy Reagan consulted with her in the 1980s, the media dubbed Jillson: ''The Astrologer Who Runs the White House.''

Jillson's final horoscope column will be published on Nov. 6.

Rodney Dangerfield

Although he had a talent for biting commentary, veteran comic Rodney Dangerfield was best known for his "I get no respect" shtick: "I know I'm ugly. Every time my old man wanted sex, my mother showed him my picture."

Born Jacob Cohen, the native New Yorker made friends in school by being the class clown. At 19, he adopted the name Jack Roy and landed his first professional job in show business as a stand-up comedian. He worked at a resort in the Catskills and earned $12 a week plus room and board.

After Dangerfield wed nightclub singer Joyce Indig in 1948, he decided to settle down and take a regular job as a house painter and aluminum siding salesman. The couple moved to Englewood, N.J., and had two children, but their marriage eventually deteriorated. They divorced in 1962, remarried a year later then divorced again. He married Joan Child, a flower importer, in 1993.

Life in the suburbs didn't sit well with Dangerfield. He missed being in the spotlight and making audiences laugh with his self-deprecating brand of humor. So at 42, he adopted the name Rodney Dangerfield and returned to stand-up. But when his first wife died, Dangerfield became a single parent. To stay closer to home, he opened the New York nightclub Dangerfield's, where he produced comedy shows for HBO and introduced comedians like Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jim Carrey, Jeff Foxworthy, Sam Kinison, Jerry Seinfeld and Rita Rudner to television audiences.

For the next two decades, Dangerfield traveled the country and headlined in Las Vegas. He also appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 16 times and on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 70 times. The comic made his film debut in the 1971 flick "The Projectionist," but his breakthrough role was playing Al Czervik in the 1980 comedy "Caddyshack." Dangerfield then wrote and/or starred in more than a dozen pictures, including "Easy Money," "Back to School," "Ladybugs," "Little Nicky" and "The 4th Tenor." His dramatic turn as the sadistic father in Oliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers" stunned audiences.

Despite his popularity and years of experience, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rejected Dangerfield's application for membership in 1995. In response, he launched a Website and asked his fans for suggestions on how to reply to the snub. The public outcry was so great that the Academy changed its decision and offered a membership to Dangerfield. He declined.

Dangerfield's 2004 autobiography, "It's Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex," has been optioned by 20th Century Fox Studios. He won a Grammy Award in 1981 for his comedy album "No Respect," and received a Lifetime Creative Achievement Award in 1994 from the American Comedy Awards. His trademark white shirt and red tie are on permanent display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C.

Dangerfield died on Oct. 5 from complications of heart surgery. He was 82.

Download "No Respect"

Eric Voice

Dr. Eric Voice, a nuclear physicist who was often described as the most radioactive man on the planet, died over the Sept. 11th weekend of motor neuron disease. He was 80.

To examine the effects of radioactivity on the body, Voice volunteered to be a human guinea pig. In 1992, he and Dr. Don Newton were given a series of plutonium injections. The results of the trials showed that in men, plutonium generally accumulated in the liver and not in the bones or reproductive organs (as was previously believed).

Over the next five years, Voice and 11 others did further experiments, each inhaling the type of plutonium isotopes found in nuclear reactors. In 1999, the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) declared that all of the subjects had remained healthy. A strong advocate of nuclear power, Voice dismissed fears about the health risks of plutonium as "media hype."

Born in London, Voice studied at the Goudhurst School in Kent. At 15, he became a research chemist with Boots, a company that sells health and beauty products. Voice joined the UKAEA as a research biochemist after World War II and later earned a degree in English and a doctorate in physics. One of the first western scientists to visit Chernobyl after the 1986 nuclear explosion, Voice made several visits to the Ukraine to research the effects of the accident on local plant and animal life.

Although he claimed plutonium had no adverse effects on his health, Voice's remains could not be cremated. Instead he was buried in a lead-lined coffin.

Gordon Cooper

Gordon Cooper, one of the original "Mercury Seven" astronauts, died on Oct. 4 of natural causes. He was 77.

Born in Shawnee, Okla., Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. flew his first plane when he was just seven years old. His father, an Army colonel, took him for a ride in a J-3 Piper Cub and let him take the controls. A love of flying was instantly forged.

Cooper served in the Marine Corps and attended the University of Hawaii before receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army. He later transferred to the Air Force and earned a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. Cooper was flight-testing experimental aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base in California when he was selected for the Mercury program, the United States' first manned spaceflight project.

The space pioneer piloted the final flight of Project Mercury in 1963. Inside the ''Faith 7'' spacecraft, he orbited the planet 22 times in 34 hours and 20 minutes. He was the first American to sleep in space and on the launch pad, and the last astronaut to fly in space alone.

Two years later, Cooper served as command pilot of the Gemini 5 mission. He and Charles Conrad spent eight days establishing a space endurance record; they traveled 3.3 million miles in 190 hours, 56 minutes, thereby proving that humans could survive in a weightless state for the amount of time it would take to travel to the moon. Only three Mercury astronauts remain: John H. Glenn Jr., the former senator from Ohio; Walter Schirra Jr.; and Scott Carpenter.

Cooper retired from the Air Force in 1970 and delved into numerous business ventures. He received many honors during his career, including the Air Force Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross and NASA's Exceptional Service Medal. A school and a library were named in his honor.

When his autobiography, "Leap of Faith: An Astronaut's Journey Into the Unknown," was published in 2000, the book sparked a bit of controversy for revealing Cooper's interest in UFOs and his belief in the existence of extraterrestrial life. He also was immortalized in Tom Wolfe's book "The Right Stuff" and in the 1983 movie of the same name.

Astronauts Mike Fincke and Gennady Padalka, who are currently living on the International Space Station, honored Cooper's memory by ringing the ship's bell three times.

Janet Leigh

Watching actress Janet Leigh scream in terror as a knife slashed her flawless skin inspired millions of moviegoers to swear off showering in motel bathrooms.

Leigh's portrayal of Marion Crane in the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Psycho" earned her a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress. The experience of watching the final cut of the famous shower scene made Leigh take baths for the rest of her life.

Born Jeanette Helen Morrison in Merced, Calif., Leigh was studying music and psychology at the College of the Pacific when actress Norma Shearer saw her picture. Shearer urged Leigh to contact talent agent Lew Wasserman and ask for a job in show business. He, in turn, negotiated her first contract with MGM Studios.

Leigh was only 19 years old when she appeared in the 1947 movie, "The Romance of Rosy Ridge." Within two years, she became one of Hollywood's busiest starlets, acting in films opposite Robert Mitchum, Ezio Pinza, James Stewart, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Frank Sinatra, John Wayne and Dick Van Dyke. The beautiful blonde actress eventually made more than 60 pictures, including "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Touch of Evil," but it was her death scene in the Bates Motel that earned her lasting fame.

Leigh married four times, first to John K. Carlyle and Stanley Reames, then to actor Tony Curtis and businessman Robert Brandt. In the final years of her life, she penned the novels "Dream Factory" and "House of Destiny." Her autobiography, "There Really Was a Hollywood," was published in 1984.

Leigh, died on Oct. 3 at the age of 77. Cause of death was not released. She is survived by Brandt and her daughters, actresses Kelly Curtis and Jamie Lee Curtis.

• Filmography

Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon, a man The New York Times named "the world's most famous photographer," died on Oct. 1 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 81.

The New York native once dreamed of becoming a poet, but photography was his destiny. Avedon dropped out of high school to run errands for a photographic company then enlisted in the Merchant Marine. He served with the photography branch and spent most of his service in Brooklyn taking thousands of ID pictures of servicemen.

In 1944, Avedon returned to civilian life and landed his first job as a professional photographer for Bonwit Teller department stores. His talent for creating enticing fashion shots earned him a staff position at Harper's Bazaar, where he remained for two decades. He later worked for Vogue and The New Yorker.

Although Avedon's fashion prints turned Suzy Parker, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell into supermodels, it was his portraiture that enthralled editors and infuriated critics. His sharply focused black-and-white images offered unsparing views of everyone from Marilyn Monroe and Andy Warhol to the Chicago Seven and the Dali Lama. Even ordinary citizens took on "the Avedon look" when he captured them on film.

During the course of his illustrious five-decade career, Avedon's images appeared in 12 books, including "An Autobiography." In 1958, he was named one of the world's 10 finest photographers by Popular Photography magazine. He was also one of the world's highest paid shooters. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., both staged major Avedon retrospectives. And in 2003, he received a National Arts Award for lifetime achievement.

His final project for The New Yorker was a photo spread called "On Democracy." For months, Avedon traveled the country taking pictures of delegates, politicians and voters. The photographs are scheduled to run before the election in November.

• Listen to a Tribute From NPR

Justin Strzelczyk

Justin C. Strzelczyk, an offensive lineman who spent nearly a decade playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died on Sept. 30 in an automobile accident. He was 36.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Strzelczyk attended the University of Maine and was an 11th-round pick in the 1990 draft. The 6-foot-3, 309-pound NFL guard and offensive tackle played with the Steelers for nine years. On the field, he was known as a serious and competitive player. But Strzelczyk hurt his knee, and was placed on the injured reserve for the entire 1999 season. The Steelers dropped him in 2000.

Known as "Jugs" to his friends, Strzelczyk spent the past four years acting, playing his banjo and riding motorcycles. Divorced last December, he had recently decided to start up a business making customized wheels and hubcaps.

An hour before the fatal crash, Strzelczyk was involved in a three-car accident just west of Syracuse, N.Y. He left the scene and led state troopers on a high speed, 37-mile highway chase in rush hour traffic before crossing over the lanes and smashing head-on into an empty tanker truck. New York police saw Strzelczyk drinking from a beer bottle before he threw it out the window at them. Harold Jackson, the driver of the tanker, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released.

[Update: Toxicology results released on Oct. 28 showed that Strzelczyk did not have alcohol or drugs in his system when he died.]

Izora Rhodes Armstead

Izora Rhodes Armstead, a singer in two disco/pop acts, died on Sept. 16 of heart failure. She was believed to be 62. One-half of the Weather Girls and Two Tons O' Fun, Armstead was best known for singing "It's Raining Men," a hit song that became an anthem in the gay club scene.

Born in Texas and raised in San Francisco, Armstead met her music partner Martha Wash in the gospel group News of the World. They entered show business in 1976 as backup singers for disco artist Sylvester and sang on four of his albums.

In 1979, Armstead and Wash formed the solo act Two Tons O' Fun. They released two albums before disco went out of fashion. When the Honey/Fantasy label dropped them, the duo regrouped as pop artists under the name The Weather Girls. Signed to Columbia Records, they recorded three albums and charted twice with "No One Can Love You More Than Me" and "It's Raining Men." The Weather Girls amicably disbanded in 1988.

Armstead moved to Frankfurt the following year and formed a new version of The Weather Girls with her daughter Dynell Rhodes. The mother/daughter act toured for several years.

"A powerful voice has been stilled here, only to sing on a bigger and grander stage beyond the clouds. She definitely will be missed," Wash stated on her Website.

Download "It's Raining Men"